


Snapshots Of Memories

by ProstheticLoVe



Series: We Take Care Of Each Other [6]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Post Season 10, five photos around Ian and mickey's house, has nothing to do with season 11, photograph fic, sort've an epilogue, super fluffy, teen for swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:14:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28250721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProstheticLoVe/pseuds/ProstheticLoVe
Summary: Five pictures in Ian and Mickey’s home.Or how Ian and Mickey document their life together.
Relationships: Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich
Series: We Take Care Of Each Other [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1993684
Comments: 10
Kudos: 121





	Snapshots Of Memories

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: No one belongs to me! I’m just here to play.
> 
> Author’s Note: I know I said that this would be out closer to Christmas, but this was probably the easiest thing I've written in awhile. So here we are. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read this series or who has just read a one shot. I hope these post season 10 fics have brought you joy! They most definitely have been fun to write.
> 
> The last one shot! Well, for now. I have no plans to continue this and I think this fic is a nice wrap up. So this is the end. However, I thought I was done after the end of Never Tear Us Apart and well, here I am five one shots later. But really, this is the end. 
> 
> I got this idea from another fandom, loved it, and became inspired. I can't take credit for the idea, but I can take credit for the incredible fluffiness that is this one shot. So be warned that it's fluffy as fuck.
> 
> You can read this as a stand alone one shot or as part of the entire series. It's the absolute end. You can view it as an epilogue. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

**On The Fireplace Mantel**

Over the years, the photos on the fireplace mantel have rotated in and out. When Ian was a kid, there were pictures of him and his siblings. Front and center, there was the one of Lip graduating from elementary school. Then there were the pictures Debs had taken when they were trying to trick Social Security with the fake Aunt Ginger. Even after the government officials had left, they’d kept the photos up. 

Carl and Debbie were in one. Debs was smiling wide and toothily while Carl sulked in the corner of the couch. Liam was in another from when he was little. He was reaching toward the person taking the picture - it was probably Fiona - with a wide smile on his face. After Fiona left, they made sure to keep up a few of all of them to feel a little bit of their older sister and surrogate mother in the house.

But as the Gallagher house became the Gallagher _and_ _Milkovich_ home, Ian decided to update the pictures on the mantel. He added a photo taken at the wedding. 

It was of all the Gallaghers - even Frank, half hidden in the background - and Mickey. Sandy had photobombed it. At the last minute, Lip had pulled in Tami and Fred. Debs was the only one not looking at the camera since Tami had accidentally stepped on her foot and caused her to glare at the tall blonde.

For a long time, Ian had loved that picture. It was proof that they had _made it_.

But as the years continued and they neared their 20th wedding anniversary, Ian decided they should trade in that photo for something else. Or at least add another picture because they had _20 fucking years of marriage_ under their belt. He wanted something that showed how long they’d been together - 20 years of marriage and 30 years of being together.

It was a long time and he wanted to document it.

He’d nagged Mickey for almost three months to do a photo shoot with him. He’d tried to point out the facts: they had the money, it was for their 20th anniversary, and it would be a nice memento to show their grandkids one day.

(“ _We could show them how love actually fucking lasts, Mick.”_ ) 

But Mickey thought it was “ _fucking gay as shit, Gallagher._ ”

Regardless, Ian continued to nag him until one Saturday when the kids were out with their cousins, Mickey called him into the backyard. He’d recruited Liam to take their pictures.

Ian couldn’t stop smiling at Mickey as he walked down the stairs of the back porch toward him. Liam had snapped a picture of Ian gazing at Mickey with what their kids and the other Gallagher’s called his _heart eyes_. 

And while the pictures Liam had taken weren’t bad - most of them were actually really beautiful - the one of Ian walking toward Mickey with his _heart eyes_ and Mickey holding out a hand toward him was the one they placed on their fireplace mantel. Right next to the pictures of the kids graduating from elementary school and the other Gallaghers/Balls/Milkovichs through the years.

Ian really liked the way Mickey’s lips curved up in a secret smile - the way he always reserved just for him when they locked eyes. And - besides for the photographic evidence of Ian’s _heart eyes_ \- Mickey liked the way his greying hair looked extra bright and red in the sunlight. (And when he was feeling particularly pliant and mellow, Mickey would admit to liking how even after all their years together that goofy grin on Ian’s lips that was _just for him_ had always remained the same. Affectionate and perfect.)

* * *

**On Their Bedside Table**

  
It would make sense if they moved their bed away from the wall so that it was easier for Ian and Mickey to climb into - especially as they got older - but Ian liked sleeping with his back against the wall. And Mickey liked sleeping facing the door - just in case.

Ian liked climbing over Mickey to get out of bed - mostly because if he angled himself and timed it just right, they could fuck before they had to start their day. Even though his knees cracked and occasionally, he fell on Mickey when he got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, he liked their arrangement. Although, he knew it wouldn’t be too much longer before they had to reorganize their bedroom to accommodate their older - _not old, yet!_ \- bodies.

With only one side of the bed open, they have one bedside table. Which meant that it was overflowing with both of their shit. 

Their bedside table hadn’t changed much through the years. Ian’s meds lived there. So did a tower of sci-fi books, a lamp, and a discarded tube of lube. 

As they got older, Mickey’s reading glasses - _you look sexy as fuck, Mick with those on_ \- and Ian’s anti-aging cream - _you can’t even see those wrinkles, Gallagher -_ were added to the mix.

The one thing that they made sure to keep on their bedside table was the image of their wedding.

It was the one where the sun was setting in the background. Ian’s bowtie was undone and the first few buttons of his shirt were hanging open. They were both flicking off the camera and the bruise on Mickey’s cheek was evident, but they both look content. 

_Fucking in love._

The only thing that changed was the frame they put it in. For their 10th wedding anniversary, Ian had bought a shiny silver frame to put the picture in. 

He’d splurged, but he wanted to make sure the photo would stay beautiful and new, even if they continued to age.

He’d asked Mickey if he wanted to change the picture to one of them dancing that Debs had captured on her phone, but both of them had a soft spot for that particular photo. 

Mickey liked seeing it first thing in the morning and Ian liked catching a glimpse of it as he fell asleep. 

* * *

**On Their Phones**

After five years of marriage, life was looking a lot different. Liam was a teenager. Debs had just moved out with Franny. Carl had moved up in the ranks as a cop, which meant his hours were more irregular (he was trying to be a detective). Lip and Tami had a second kid and Fiona had moved back to Chicago. Mickey now had a real _legit_ job and was making more than Ian. And Ian kept bringing up having a kid. Or _nagging_ Mickey about having a kid as the brunette started to point out after their fourth or fifth talk about it.

But the thing was they kept coming up against hurdles.

One right after the other.

No one wanted to allow two ex-cons to adopt. 

Or foster.

Artificial insemination was fucking expensive.

Hiring a surrogate was fucking expensive.

(“ _They’re the same thing, Ian!_ ”)

When Ian had brought up the issue to Debs, she’d been hesitant about it.

While Fiona offered, she’d never been pregnant and the doctors suggested - as gently as possible - that it could be risky. Since she had never been pregnant, they weren’t sure if it would be safe for her to carry to term.

And after hearing the costs, they nixed that idea.

It was a year after Ian and Mickey decided to welcome a child into their life when Mandy came back for the second time in tears.

She’d been living with a guy who’d left when she revealed she was pregnant.

Six months pregnant, she had nowhere else to go.

No money, no job, nothing.

(“ _I'm sorry, I just - I don’t know what to do…How am I supposed to be a mom? I don’t even like kids!_ ”)

So Mickey and Ian spotted an opportunity and offered to take the kid off her hands.

At first, Mandy felt guilty about it. She talked about how she could do this if she really _had_ to (Ian pointed out that she _didn’t_ have to), but the more she thought about it (and realized how badly Mickey and Ian wanted a kid) and talked to her brother and brother in-law, she realized this was the best option.

This was the _right_ option.

She’d still have a relationship with the kid, but she could be the _fun aunt_ instead of the _single mom_.

Besides, Ian loved kids and Mickey’s _fond eyes_ when his husband held the baby for the first time solidified Mandy’s decision.

She’d wait until she found someone who loved her just as much as Ian loved her brother - and she did almost six months later in Jewel when they both reached for the same six pack of beer.

The second child they adopted and the process was a lot easier. (It helped that they already had a kid _and_ their PO wrote them a glowing letter of recommendation.)

When Leo - their son - and Rosie - their daughter - were about seven and five, they’d gone through a baking with Mickey phase. Every weekend they’d beg to make something with him. From cookies to cupcakes and even a two tier cake, they were Mickey’s little baking helpers.

On a Saturday afternoon in December, Ian came home to find Mickey and the kids making holiday cookies. But somewhere along the way, flour had gotten everywhere - which really wasn’t unusual in their house. 

Without even setting down his EMT bag, Ian snapped a photo of Rosie rubbing flour into Leo’s hair while he tried to fight her off. 

The large smiles on both of their faces made Ian grin fondly every time he opened his phone.

It was seconds later when Ian caught the second photo that ended up as Mickey’s background. Leo had retaliated by taking his chocolate covered hand and rubbing it on her face and hair. Rosie’s mouth dropped open in shock and Leo burst into laughter.

Mickey loved seeing how close the two were, which made his features soften every time he opened his phone.

* * *

**On The Fridge**

Stuck between a homemade card for Father’s Day and a calendar filled with appointments and bill due dates was a picture of the entire family. Kev had insisted one year on throwing a July Fourth party in the Gallagher’s backyard. 

( _“It’s been awhile since we’ve had a good ol’ Gallagher-Ball-Milkovich Bash.”_ )

(“ _That sounds like a weird three-some, Kev._ ”)

It was a few years after Fiona had moved back to Chicago and was temporarily living with them again after the place she’d rented had been broken into. 

It had been weird at the time because the house was more full than it had been since Debs had moved out. It was the Milkovich-Gallagher clan of four, Carl, Liam, and Fiona. Plus a dog Carl had brought home as a rescue after its owner was found dead at a crime scene.

(" _I promise I’ll feed him! And it’ll just be until I find him a home.”_ )

Carl named him Spike and his new home ended up being the Gallagher house.

At least until Carl eventually moved out.

Kev, Lip, and Mickey had cooked up some hamburgers and hot dogs as they waited for it to get dark so they could set off fireworks. It was right before it got dark, but after they’d finished barbecuing when Ian suggested getting a picture of everyone. However since they all wanted to be in it, there was no easy solution to capture the moment. They tried to prop it up and take a picture on the timer, but it ended up cutting half the group out or capturing the sky when it dropped to a weird angle.

When that didn’t work, Kev had been the one elected to hold the camera as they all crowded together to capture the memory.

But even though Kev’s arms were long and he was tall, it wasn’t the perfect picture Ian had envisioned. Leo, who was in Ian’s arms, had grabbed Debbie’s hair and tugged causing her mouth to drop open in pain while Ian struggled to get him to let go. Fiona was turned away from the camera whispering something to V and making her laugh. Lip was berating Kev to angle the camera better to capture everyone, which made his mouth look lopsided since he was midway through talking.

Mickey was holding Rosie and smiling in a strained fashion while Carl and Liam were struggling to be seen over everyone else. They’d somehow ended up in the back. Sandy was half cut off from the picture making her look disjointed and Franny’s face was squeezed between Tami and Fred. The twins were the only ones smiling at the camera when Kev took the picture and therefore, the only two who looked good.

But it was their family.

It was everyone.

For the first time in a long time.

And everytime anyone passed that picture squeezed between a very full schedule and children’s artwork, they smiled and made a comment because it was just so _them_.

* * *

**On Their Computer**

After the computer that Mickey had bought - or probably stole - broke, Ian decided to splurge and buy a family laptop. His thought was that their kids would some day need to use the computer for school work - although, he hoped by that time they could afford _two_ computers, but that wasn’t the point.

They needed a new computer now.

One day, they’d gone to Target - and ended up leaving with twice as much stuff as they had planned to buy - to purchase a new laptop. Ian had done some - a lot of - research online, but Mickey was the one who ended up picking out their new computer. He’d talked the sales guy into doing this and that and somehow they ended up with a computer much lower than the actual cost.

(Ian would never cease to be amazed by his husband.)

After a few months of the generic background on the computer, Ian decided to change it to a picture they’d taken over the summer when the four of them headed to Lakeside Beach in Michigan. 

They drove the three hours that ended up feeling endless due to the seven year old and a five year old who were not used to long car rides - or car rides at all. Ian was the designated driver while Mickey tried to entertain the kids with stories of growing up in the South Side. 

_(“You can’t tell them that one, Mick!”)_

_(“Shut the fuck up, Ian. It’s not that bad.”)_

By the time they checked into the hotel and headed to the beach, all four of them were 

ready to head to the beach. Ian lathered the kids up with sunscreen and headed into the water while Mickey sat back and popped open a beer and watched them. He snuck a few pictures of Ian in the water with the two kids. When the sun became too much, he got into the water with them. 

It was as the sun was setting when Ian tried to take a selfie with the kids sitting between them when someone walked by and offered to take their picture.

Ian handed over the phone and the woman snapped a few pictures of the four of them on the Michigan beach with the sun setting in the background. 

Every time Mickey opened the computer, he thought back to those days he spent sleeping on the beach in Mexico and how dejected he’d felt. He’d learned long ago that it was worth coming back, but spotting that picture always made him realize _how fucking grateful_ he was that everything had worked out the way it did.

When Ian used the computer, he was reminded of the conversation they’d had so long ago when they headed down to Mexico.

_It’s what kept me going in the joint. The beach...us..._

Ian tried to show him every day how much Mickey kept him going. How all he needed was him and their kids - the life they’d created together - to get through the hard days. He wanted Mickey to know he loved him just as much. 

When he looked at that picture, he saw the proof of how far they’d come. How much they’d achieved. More so than any of the other pictures they’d captured of their small moments as a family. This one was the one that showed how much their lives had changed - for the better.

Somehow making it to the beach meant just as much as getting married to Ian. When they’d talked about the beach that day in the car, Ian couldn’t have ever imagined this. That the first time they’d go to the beach together were years and years later as a married couple with kids. 

They’d gone through so much together: stints in juvie, self-loathing, a life altering diagnosis, shitty fathers, a wife, a prison sentence (or two), marriage, two kids, and probably grandkids - if that’s what Rosie and Leo decided.

It was a pretty good life.

In fact, it was close to perfect.

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so if you're interested in any future fics, I have (like many of us) decided to write a fix it fic...yay? lol. It should be out before Shameless comes back on the 10th. But that's all I have planned for now. So stay tuned for that.
> 
> Once again thank you to everyone who has read, kudoed, bookmarked, and commented on this series. It's been SO much fun to write! Although there have been a lot of struggles and moments of wtf while writing. 
> 
> I'm not sure I see these characters as in character now that season 11 has started, so we'll see what happens with my future fics. I like to keep the characterization as close to canon, so if you have any pointers, suggestions, etc. I'd love to hear them. 
> 
> If you'd like to leave a kudo/comment, please do! And have a happy holiday! See you in the new year!


End file.
